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Unlike teammate Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul didn’t get hats thrown on the ice in his honour on Saturday night. Nor did he receive a subsequent smooch on the cheek from Don Cherry in front of a national television audience.

Those well-earned kudos were reserved for his young linemate, who racked up his second career hat trick in a 4-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.

At the same time, when it comes to puckering up, Lupul would be well within his rights to tell his critics to kiss his, uh, stats sheet.

These are the same doubters who considered him nothing more than a throw-in during the 2011 trade that brought defence prospect Jake Gardiner to the Maple Leafs from Anaheim for blue liner Francois Beauchemin.

These are the same naysayers who scoffed at Leafs general manager David Nonis for signing him to a five-year contract extension in January at an annual cap hit of $5.25 million, one they claimed was far too lucrative for an often-injured player.

But when you see the way Lupul has played in his six games since returning from a broken forearm, his contract seems more like a bargain than a money pit.

Since rejoining the Leafs after being sidelined for almost two months, Lupul has been as electrifying as any star in the NHL and, in the process, has started to do elite things out on the ice even he never realized he was capable of.

Keeping all that in mind, just how good can Joffrey Lupul be? Lupul himself can’t even answer that question.

“I’ve never played at this level before,” Lupul admitted candidly. “To be honest, I’m kind of just figuring it out now as I go.

“I didn’t necessarily know I could play at this level. And now I’m figuring out that I can do a lot of things out there that other guys can’t.”

Need proof? Go to the web and click on the replay of Lupul’s incredible coast-to-coast jaunt against Carolina on Thursday, a play that started with him wheeling with the puck at his own goal line and ending with him bursting around defenceman Joe Corvo, deking Hurricanes goalie Justin Peters and depositing the puck over the goalline to tie the game.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Lupul is nowhere near the talent that the great No. 4 was.

Still, in this specific two-week window, no one in the NHL has been better. A goal in six consecutive games. Eight goals and five assists for 13 points in that span. And an ability to make those around him better, specifically linemates Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin. Indeed, at this point in time, you would have to consider this trio the Leafs’ No. 1 line, not James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel.

On Saturday night in Ottawa, Lupul and Kadri set each other up for all four Leafs goals, combined for eight points, four apiece. If it wasn’t the most impressive performance by a pair of linemates in the illustrious history of the Battle of Ontario, it certainly has to rank near the top.

Coach Randy Carlyle acknowledges that he never saw Lupul reach these heights when the two were in Anaheim together from 2009-11. Then again, neither has Lupul.

“I think he’s really solidified himself in his mind of understanding what his body is telling him now,” Carlyle said. “He gives himself the best chance for success by looking after himself and training properly. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he’s shown great offensive flair.”

Given all of that, we ask again: Just how good can Joffrey Lupul be?

“Lots of players mature at different ages,” Lupul, 29, said. “I guess I’m old by NHL standards now, but I definitely feel I’m improving every day.

“I do have the desire to get better and better now and see how good a player I can eventually be.”

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Leafs dynamic duo: Lupul a different player

Unlike teammate Nazem Kadri, Joffrey Lupul didn’t get hats thrown on the ice in his honour on Saturday night. Nor did he receive a subsequent smooch on the cheek from Don Cherry in front of a national television audience.

Those well-earned kudos were reserved for his young linemate, who racked up his second career hat trick in a 4-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place.

At the same time, when it comes to puckering up, Lupul would be well within his rights to tell his critics to kiss his, uh, stats sheet.

These are the same doubters who considered him nothing more than a throw-in during the 2011 trade that brought defence prospect Jake Gardiner to the Maple Leafs from Anaheim for blue liner Francois Beauchemin.

These are the same naysayers who scoffed at Leafs general manager David Nonis for signing him to a five-year contract extension in January at an annual cap hit of $5.25 million, one they claimed was far too lucrative for an

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